The discovery of pre-historic remains belonging to the stone-age man all along the banks of the river Krishna from Machilipatnam to Nagarjuna Sagar provides evidence that this part of the river valley was inhabited by the stone age man. A legend narrates that Vijayawada was established by Arjuna around the Malleswara temple and Indrakiladri hills in commemoration of Lord Shiva's Darsan that he had, and thus named it after him as Vijayawada. Another legend states that Goddess Durga rested here after killing a Rakshasa (Demon) and since she was victorious (Vijaya), it is called Vijayawada. Besides being an important religious centre for Buddhists and Hindus, Vijayawada is also a centre of Andhra culture. The Chalukyas of Kalyan and the great king Krishna Deva Raya once conquered this place, and the famous Chinese traveler Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang) had visited this place in 639 when Buddhism was at its zenith in the region. During the British Raj the city experienced significant growth. In particular, the completion of the Prakasam Barrage in 1959, and railway bridge on the Krishna River have helped the region expand its agricultural and commercial base. And Vijayawada Railway station is one of the busiest railway junctions in India. The regions around the city have fertile soil and are irrigated by the river. Etymology A legend narrates that during Dwapara Yuga, Arjuna performed penance for Lord Shiva's Darshan, to gain Pasupathashtra in this location. Lord Shiva, along with Parvathi, appeared in the form of tribal people and blessed Arjuna. Another legend states that Durga rested here after killing a Rakshasa and since she was victorious (Vijaya), the place got its name as Vijayawada. One another legend states that this place was known as Vijaya-vatica, which translates to "Land of Victory" but this became "Vijayawada" over the ages. One another legend states that "Krishnaveni" (River Krishna) requested Arjuna to make a passage to Bay of Bengal. Arjuna made a hole (Bezzam) through mountains. Hence the name Bejjamwada has come into existence. Bejjamwada become Bezawada over a period of time. In 19th century, Bezawada was renamed to Vijayawada. According to some records, Vijayawada got the name Bezawada because of the British. A local story says that the British found it difficult to pronounce the name and so they tried to remodel it. At that time,the British found a lot of breeze in that area and so they called it "Breezewada". It later on came to be known as Bezawada Vijayawada Krishna River View:: Geography Vijayawada is bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the west and the Budameru River on the north. The Northern, North-Western, and South-Western parts of the city are covered by a low range of hills, while the Central, South-Western and North-Western parts are covered by rich and fertile agriculture lands with three major irrigation canals. The topography of Vijayawada is flat, with a few small to medium sized hills. The Krishna River runs through the city. These hills are part of the Eastern Ghats cut through by the Krishna river. They have very low elevation compared to the average elevation of the ghats. Three canals originating from the north side of the Prakasham barrage reservoir, Eluru, Bandar and Ryves, run through the city. Vijayawada is the only city in the world with two rivers, Krishna, Budameru, and three canals. Buckingham Canal originates from the south side of the reservoir. Due to the presence of the Krishna river the soil around here is very fertile and cultivated intensively. The climate is tropical, with hot summers and moderate winters. The peak temperature reaches 49 °C (120 °F) in May-June, while the winter temperature is 17-25 C. The average humidity is 68% and the average annual rainfall is 965 millimetres (38.0 in). Vijayawada gets its rainfall from both the south-west monsoon and north-east monsoon. It's nicknamed "Blazewada" for its scorching summer heat by the Britishers. Kondapalli Forest About 11 km from the western outskirts of Vijayawada lies the Kondapalli reserve forest, spread over 121.5 square kilometres (30,000 acres). The forest provides Vijayawada with a "green lung". This pristine forest is home to leopards, wild dogs, jackals, wild boar, wolves etc.[1] hills produce a soft wood is used for preparing toys of Kondapalli. They are of varied designs such as dancing toys, playing toys and so on. There are several processes involved in the making of Kondapalli Toys. In fact it is very interesting to watch these beautiful toys being made. The craftsmen first carve the Puniki wood to give it the shape of a toy. One is amazed to learn that this white colored wood is specially grown in and around the village of Kondapalli for producing the Kondapalli Toys. The wood is stuffed with sawdust and tamarind seed paste. When the right shape has been given by chipping the surface, the toys are painted. The Kondapalli Toys which are made for the international markets are painted with the traditional vegetable dyes. If the Kondapalli Toys are made for the domestic market, oil paints are generally used and if they are being made for a special occasion then enamel paints are used. The colored toys look very beautiful and no one can resist the temptation to purchase one or two as ornamental pieces. Demographics Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh after Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. According to 2001 census, the population of the city is 1,451,282 (agglomeration 1,639,518) (2001 census). Civic administration The city of Vijayawada is run by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation [2].The Municipality of Vijayawada (Bezawada) was constituted on 1st APR, 1888 and was upgraded as a selection grade municipality in the year 1960. The municipality was upgraded to a corporation in 1981. With the merger of Gunadala, Patamata and Bhavanipuram village panchayats and two villages payakapuram and Kundavari kandrika in the corporation in 1985. The total area of the corporation is 61.8 square kilometres (23.9 sq mi). The city is divided into 59 political wards. An elected body headed by the Mayor performs the Administration of the Corporation. The Commissioner acts as the executive head, and oversees the day to day functioning of the local body. The commissioner who is a (IAS) officer of Joint collector rank is appointed by the state government. It has a dedicated Sub-Collector's office for Administration of State and Central Government Programmes. The staff strength of the corporation is just over 5,000. The Vijayawada City Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of DIG rank. Economy The region around the city has fertile soil and irrigation is supported by the river Krishna and its canals. Major crops include sugarcane, Rice and Mango. Vijayawada is famous for automobile body building, garment, iron and hardware small scale industries. Small scale automotive industries 'Jawahar Autonagar', was the largest automobile township in Asia for sometime. The main markets are situated in the old city (formerly called One Town) and near Besant Road. It is estimated that nearly INR 10 crores of garment business takes place in the Vastralatha building alone in the One Town on a daily basis. Garments are mainly sold in Besant Road and Governor Pet, but now this activity is also happening in the malls that have come up in Labbipet and M.G. Road areas.Some of the famous shopping malls established on M.G.Road include, Kalanikethan Shopping mall, Chandana Grand, R.S.Brothers, Kalanjali, Chermas and M&M. The city has many wholesale businesses. They include garments, iron market, pulses, cereals, and other edible products, fancy markets, fertilizers, mango exports, pharmacy, metal and so on. The city is one of the busiest and crowded places due to its strong commercial hold in the entire state. Vijayawada is called the 'Commerce Hub' of the Andhra state, for it provides the right environ for all the agricultural and industrial goods to be transported in/out and traded in one single place. Vijayawada is the busiest railway junction in South India, and is second biggest junction in India and only railway station to have escalators after New Delhi. The fact that Vijayawada is well connected through railways keeps it the main hub of commercial activities. Information technology The city has a strong educational infrastructure but the IT industry is yet to grow. There are about 32 IT firms in Vijayawada, which generated revenues of approximately Rs.56 crores (Rs 56,00,00,000) in 2007-2008 fiscal year. Some of the IT companies here are Efftronics,[3] PB Systems[4] and The UX Group.[5] The APIIC is setting up an IT park/SEZ at Gannavaram, 20 km from the city, next to the airport, to facilitate the growth of the IT industry in this region. The construction firm, L&T, was awarded the contract for developing this IT park with a budget of Rs 300 crores. The IT park can facilitate employment of up to 10,000 IT professionals. Another IT park with an area of 40 acres (160,000 m2) is being set up by VGTM-UDA in Mangalagiri. Transport Vijayawada is an important link connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh and is a major transit point. Two National Highways, the National Highway 5 from Chennai to Kolkata and the National Highway 9 from Machilipatnam to Mumbai pass through the city connecting it to other parts of the country. Another National highway 221 connects the city to Jagdalpur in Madhya Pradesh state. It is connected to other areas of the state, by state highways and district roads. Air The domestic airport located at Gannavaram, about 10 km, from the city connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad, Madras, Rajahmundry and Bangalore. Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines are the two airlines flying to and from Vijayawada. one go to Hyderabad and another to Banglore Rail Situated along the Madras- Howrah and Madras-Delhi rail route, Vijayawada junction is the biggest railway junction of the South Central Railway. Vijayawada junction had been given A-1 status by the central government.[6] Krishna canal junction, Madhuranagar, Gunadala, Rayanapadu, Kondapalli,Nidamanuru, Gannavaram, Mustabada and Ramavarappadu are the other railway stations in the city. Vijayawada is the busiest railway junction in South India, and is second biggest junction in India and only railway station to have escalators after New Delhi. Road Vijayawada is well connected to the rest of the country by National Highways — NH-5 and NH-9. Good motorways connect Vijayawada with all the places within the state and also with the major cities in India. Transport by road from Vijayawada to all the places of interest is available in the form of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses. There are huge number of buses that run between Vijayawada and Hyderabad 24 hours-a-day and 365 days-a-year, unlike the rest of transportation in the state. Local commute within the city is a breeze as all major streets are connected with the Local Public Bus Transit(City Buses) operated by APSRTC. Motor driven auto(rickshaw)s and manual driven (cycle) rickshaws are the other alternative means of transport within Vijayawada. Private lorries (trucks), cars and two-wheelers (motorcycles and scooters) abound as well. Public and private bus operators provide transport services to various parts of the country. Vijayawada also has one of the biggest bus terminals in the country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Bus Station in Vijayawada is the 2nd biggest Bus Station in Asia after Chennai and is a major transit point. It was inaugurated on September 23, 1990 and was called Telugu Satavahana Prayana Pranganam. It is also called the "City that never sleeps" with reference to railways. Culture There are business groups like the Sindhi and the Rajasthani in the city. They are concentrated in One-Town, the old town-nucleus. There are Tamils and Malayaleess. There is a Tamil association operating here.Similarly the Malayalees too have got their cultural organizations in Vijayawada. A few students of Tibetan and Nepaleseorigin come to the city to study here.   Vijaywada Kanakadurga Gopuram Education Vijayawada, also called as "Vidyala wada" (Place of Education), occupies a large amount of the educational infrastructure of Andhra Pradesh. The city was named as "The Educational Sahara" by a foreign ambassador earlier during the century. The NTR University of Health sciences is the first medical university in India. NTR University of Health Sciences is a public university in the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is named after its founder Sri N.T. Rama Rao. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has the distinction of establishing the first University of Health Sciences fulfilling the recommendations of several committees. Thus the “Andhra Pradesh University of Health Sciences” was established by the Act.No. 6 of the Andhra Pradesh legislature and was inaugurated on 9-4-1986 by the late Sri N.T. Rama Rao, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.The University of Health Sciences started functioning at Vijayawada from 1 November 1986. After the death of its founder Sri N.T. Rama Rao the University was named after him as NTR University of Health Sciences, Andhra Pradesh with effect from 2.2.98 vide Act No.4 of 1998. Education in the city is implemented by both the government and the private institutions. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation takes care of the government educational institutions. Following are statistics of government schools: High Schools: 22(Including 1 Urdu Medium, 2 Schools both English & Telugu Media) Upper Primary Schools: 15 (Including Urdu Media) ( 3 Urdu Media) Elementary Schools: 52+10= 62 (10 Urdu Media, 2 English Media) Students: 30,000 Teachers: 700 There are also “aided” schools in Vijayawada, meaning schools with both government and private partnerships as well, such as the Gollapudi high-school. Government schools are located at different places like the Jammichettu center, the Patamata high-school and Suryarao Peta, to name a few. Private schools are scattered all over the city. A majority of them implement the Andhra Pradesh State Syllabus for their students.The students, after studying their 10th class, take the Public Examination, which is equivalent of the school-leaving certificate. There are only a few schools accredited to the Central Board of Secondary Education in the city-meaning their class Ten students have to take the All India Secondary School Examination(AISSE) for their school-leaving certificate. The first college built in Vijayawada was SRR & CVR college, almost 7 years before Andhra Loyola college was built. Siddhartha Academy has 18 colleges under its management in various disciplines like Arts, Science, commerce, management, law, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy catering etc. Andhra Loyola College was established on a 110-acre (0.45 km2) plot in the year 1953 (classes commenced on July 22, 1954) with Rev.This is the first college in Andhra which got 5 stars by NAAC during the year 2008. Francis Theo Mathias, SJ, (now, Emeritus Professor, Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur) as its first Principal. The college was affiliated to Andhra University till December 1976 and to Nagarjuna University thereafter.When any person going by flight we can see the lettrs of loyola building built like that. KBN College is another popular college in Vijayawada. This aided college offers Intermediate, Graduation and Post Graduation courses in many disciplines. The first private engineering college in Andhra pradesh, V R Siddhartha Engineering College, is located here. The NTR University of Health Sciences is located in Vijayawada, which is premier institution in the field of medical and dental sciences. The South Indian branch of the School of Architecture and Planning has been allocated to Vijayawada. Politics Vijayawada is known as the political capital of Andhra Pradesh. Politically very active, voters show a high degree of maturity. The major political parties here are Telugu Desam Party, Indian National Congress, Praja Rajyam and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Earlier it was a strong center for Congress (I) and Communist Part of India (Marxist). With the entry of TDP(Telugu Desam Party), the scenario has changed. This has changed the political equations in Vijayawada. Vijayawada has three main assembly constituencies namely Vijayawada West,Vijayawada Central and Vijayawada East. Parts of the city are also present in Penamaluru, Mylavaram and Gannavaram assembly constituencies. Vijayawada has one Lok Sabha seat. This section requires expansion. Hotels and Movie theatres The city of victory is also well-known for its famous hotels and movie theatres. The star hotels of the city include The Gateway Hotel, Hotel Fortune Murali Park, Hotel D.V.Manor which are situated on M.G.Road and Hotel Ilapuram in Gandhinagar and Hotel Swarna Palace on Karl Marx Road. There are around 45 movie theatres in and around Vijayawada. Gandhinagar area in the city has some of the best movie theatres in the city. It is located very close to the Railway Station. Some of the theatres include INOX, Alankar, Swarna Palace, Venkateswara Palace, Annapurna, Sakuntala, Apsara, Raj & Yuvaraj. Media This section requires expansion. Vijayawada is an important commercial, political, and cultural center in Andhra Pradesh. The print & electronic media industries have a major presence here. Prominent journalists from this city include Mutnuri Krishna Rao, C Raghavachari, Moturi Hanumantha Rao, Turlapati Kutumba Rao, Nanduri Rammohana Rao, Garapati Upendra Babu, Syed Akbar, AM Khan Yazdani, Kasinaduni Nageswara Rao Pantulu, Khadar Mohiuddin, Muhammad Vazeeruddin, R Ramprasad, K Sriramulu and Kuchi Gopalakrishna. Radio The All India Radio(AIR) has one of its AIR stations here with three transmitters ( 100 KW MW; 1 kW MW VB and 1 kW FM (Int. set up)). The FM radio channels broadcast in the city include AIR Rainbow Krishnaveni FM (102.2 MHz), Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz) and SFM (93.5 MHz). Television Television broadcasting in the city is carried out by two means: The Cable TV and the Direct-To-Home Satellite TV. Film and Literature 'Popular Film Personalities' Many popular and successful film personalities hail from here. They include, Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu, a discipline of Susarla Dhakshinamurti - Musician, Great musicians - Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, Balanthrapu Rajinikanthi Rao, Annavarapu Ramaswami, Pemmaraju Surya Rao. Legendary lyricist, Veturi Sundaram Murthy, is a native of Peddakallepalli in Krishna district and has settled down in Vijayawada. 'Sirivennela' Seetharama Sastry - Popular Lyricist. Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao from Diviseema is also associated with Vijayawada as a singer. Film dialogue writer and director, the late 'Hasya Brahma' Jandhyala, is a very popular figure.Popular Writer "Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy" is also from here. Kota Srinivasa Rao - Versatile actor turned politician, Ravi Teja - actor, Rambha, Laya - Actress, Gundu Hanumatha Rao - Actor, Girija Sri Bhagawan - Writer, C. Kowsalendra Rao and Hari Gopalakrishna Murthy-Producers, Sunitha - Singer. 'Writers and Social Workers' Vijayawada is a spectrum of many a literary and social activities.Here live a number of noted contributors to literature and social ideology. To cite a few of them M.D. Dinesh Nair, a well noted lecturer in English who is one of the most popular poets in English on www.poemhunter.com lives in Vijayawada. Print Vijayawada is one of the earliest and still continuing publishing centers in Andhra Pradesh. Vague estimates say about 90% of the total volume of books in the state are printed or published from here. The annual book festival has been quite popular with publishers from around the country participating here. The Vijayawada Book Festival is organized every year and is second largest book festival in the country after Kolkata. This book exhibition starts on every new year day (January 1), and lasts for 10 days. Sports - Cricket is the most popular sport, with National level cricket matches played at Indira Gandhi Stadium.[7] A new international stadium is being built in a 20-acre (81,000 m2) site in Mangalagiri which will replace the local stadium as the venue for international and Ranji matches.[8] Badminton, Chess and Volleyball are also popular. The latest fad seems to be Archery. Famous sports personalities from Vijayawada include Weightlifting - Dandamudi Rajagopal - Participated in 1948 and 1956 Olympics, Played Bhima role in various hit movies like Narthanasala. Chess Grand master Koneru Humpy,Harikrishna Badminton -Chetan Anand Volleyball-Guttikonda pradeep Attractions Religious Kanaka Durga Temple: One of the most popular temples in Andhra Pradesh, it is located on a hill Indrakeeladri hill overlooking the city as well as the River Krishna. One can either motor up the ghat road or take to the steps on foot. Inscriptions of different dynasties are found in the temple. During Dasara Festival, thousands of devotees from the city and its environs throng the temple after a holy dip in the River Krishna close by the temple. Mangalagiri: Located in Guntur District, 12 km from Vijayawada is the renowned temple of Lord Narasimha in Mangalagiri, on a hillock. The unique feature of this temple is that the mouth of the idol accepts half the quantity of panakam (jaggery dissolved in water) offered by devotees, irrespective of the size of the vessel. Amaravati: Amaravati in guntur district, formerly called as Dhanyakataka and Andhranagari, is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the country. Acharya Nagarjuna constructed the country's largest stupa here, 2,000 years back. Amaravati is considered the most sacred pilgrim centre for Buddhists in South India. It also has an Amareswara temple. Hinkar Thirtha (Jain Temple), Mangalagiri: A Jain temple here with great artistic work, it is slated to be the biggest Jain temple in the region. Hazarat Bal Mosque: A holy relic of the Prophet Mohammed is kept here which is displayed once a year. A large number of non-Muslims too join the celebrations. Gunadala Matha Shrine: In 1925, Rf. Arlati, the Rector of St. Joseph's Orphanage at Gunadala, installed a statue of Our Lady and later a church was built and consecrated in 1971, now popularly known as St. Mary's church. Since then the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became an annual event here, attended by hundreds of people. The church is situated on a hillock on the eastern side of the city. Marakata Rajarajeswari Temple: Unique temple of goddess completely built with stone with intricate architecture symbolizing SRICHAKRA - the abode of mother Goddess.This temple is located in the premises of Sri Ganapati Sachidananda Swamy Ashram in Patamata. The ambience in the temple premises gives a pleasant and peaceful feel to the visitors. Subramanya Swamy Temple: One of the most popular temples in Vijayawada, it is located on a hill (Indrakeeladri) overlooking the city as well as the River Krishna. One can take to the steps on foot. During Skanda Shashti Festival, thousands of regular devotees will come from Tamil Nadu. This Temple is being maintained by Iddipilli Family. Sri Nagarala Sri Maha Lakshmi Ammavaru Temple: One of the most popular temples in Vijayawada, it is located in the area of Chiitinagar. During Dasara Festival, thousands of devotees from the city visit this temple. It is maintained by the Nagaralu community. Tourist Places Prakasham barrage: Built across the river Krishna connecting Guntur District, Prakasham Barrage has created a panoramic lake. Its three canals that run through the city give Vijayawada a Venetian look. Manginapudi beach: Located about 70 km from Vijayawada. Undavalli caves: Located in the Guntur district five kilometers from Vijayawada, these caves are said to be carved in 7th century A.D. Buddhist monks used this two-storeyed cave structure as a rest house during the monsoon. A huge monolith of the Lord Buddha in reclining posture is a magnificent sight. Rajiv Gandhi Park: Created by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation with great care, this park welcomes the tourists at the entrance of the city with its impressive horticultural network. A mini zoo and a musical water fountain are added to it. Gandhi Hill: The first Gandhi Memorial with seven stupas in the country was constructed on this hill at a height of 500 feet (150 m). The 52 feet (16 m) stupa was unveiled on 6 October 1968 by Dr. Zakir Hussain, the President of India. Gandhi Memorial Library, a Sound and Light Show on Mahatma Gandhi's life and a planetarium are the other attractions. Gandhi Hill is open to public every day between 4 pm and 8:30 pm except Tuesdays. Planetarium show runs everyday at 6:30 pm except Tuesdays. There is also a toy train on top of Gandhi Hill that goes around the hill and gives a bird's eye view of the entire city. Victoria Museum: A place for archaeology lovers, Victoria Museum has a carefully preserved collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery, and inscriptions. Mogalarajapuram Caves: These caves are said to be excavated in 5th century A.D. The caves are reputed to be the first of their kind in South India. The idols of Lord Nataraja, Vinayaka & Arthanareeswara are carved here, but none of the statue are available here. Bhavani Island: Perhaps one of the largest islands on a river, Bhavani Island is located on Krishna River close to the city. AP Tourism is converting this 133 acre (54 hectare) island into an attractive tourist spot and a River Front Resort. The island currently has some cottages to stay in and some good adventure and fun sports. Journey to the island by boat is very pleasant. Kondapalli Fort: Kondapalli village is situated 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Vijayawada. A 7th century fort on the hill with an impressive three storeyed rock tower was witness to the glory of many dynasties. This fort was built by King Krishna Deva Raya. It served as a business centre. Finally the fort was used as a military training base by the British rulers. A good picnic spot, the village is famous for toy making with light-weight wood available on the hill forest. These toys are famous world-over as "Kondapalli toys". Haritha Berm park: Haritha Berm park which also known as Punnami resort is located quite close to the Prakasm barrage.The resort has both air-conditioned and non air conditioned boats and organizes a trip every evening across the river and around the Bhavani island. The trip lasts for around one hour and is really enjoyable.